Before Ishbal
by Silvery Mist
Summary: DISCONTINUED: A collection of Royai stories that take place during the years Roy stayed with the Hawkeyes. Chapter 5 is up! Secret Admirer: Someone's been secretly leaving Riza flowers at her house but she has no idea who.
1. First Meeting

_**Author's Notes:**_ I felt like writing another teenage Royai fic and this collection of stories was the result. Each chapter will be its own mini-story but there will be an over-arching storyline which is Roy and Riza gradually developing feelings for each other. I currently have 8 chapters planned out but I might add more if I come up with further ideas. If anyone would like to suggest ideas that they'll like to see, feel free to let me know.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

**First Meeting:**

16-year-old Roy Mustang stood in front of a large oak door, staring in shock at the state of the Hawkeye residence. _A renowned alchemist lives here??_ He looked around the yard. Sure, the place was big, but it looked pretty run down as if no one bothered to maintain the property for years.

_If it weren't for the lights in the windows I would have thought this place was abandoned._

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the massive doors. A couple seconds passed before the door slowly creaked open. A petite blonde girl greeted him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her mahogany eyes eyeing him curiously.

"Umm…Hi. I'm Roy Mustang. I'm here to see Mr. Hawkeye and --"

"Just a moment," she interrupted, shutting the door in his face. Roy stood there, stunned. _Well, that was pretty rude, _he thought.

A few more seconds passed before the door opened again. This time a middle-aged man whom Roy figured must be his new sensei, stood in the doorway and stared back at him.

"So you're Roy Mustang, eh? It's about time you showed up." He eyed the teen and then moved aside to let Roy in. Roy nervously stepped into the doorway, carrying his two bags.

"Leave your bags here," Hawkeye sensei ordered. "We're just about to have dinner." Dropping his bags on the floor, Roy obediently followed the man into the back of the house.

As they headed towards the dining room, Roy's eyes wandered around the house. The interior of the manor was also in poor condition. There were numerous cracks on the walls and bits of paint were starting to chip. However, despite the dilapidated state, the house still had a distinguished feeling to it, like it used to be a manor for an illustrious family. In fact, Roy was convinced that he saw a few priceless relics resting in dark corners as he followed Mr. Hawkeye. _The Hawkeyes were probably well off in the past_, Roy thought.

When they reached the dining room Roy could see that dinner was already laid out on the table. The petite girl he had seen earlier was also there, busy setting a new place for their last minute guest.

"Riza," Mr. Hawkeye said, addressing the girl. She looked up at him. "This is Roy Mustang. He'll be staying with us for a while to learn alchemy." Turning to Roy, he continued, "Roy, this is my daughter, Riza."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mustang." Riza said, curtsying.

"The pleasure is mine," replied Roy, smirking. _No one's ever called me _'_Mr. Mustang' before…that'll take some getting used to._

Mr. Hawkeye motioned for them to sit down and began eating dinner. Roy and Riza followed and dinner proceeded in silence.

Roy stole a glance at Riza while she was busy cutting a chicken breast. She looked like she was around his age, maybe even a year or two younger than him. At first glance, she almost looked like a boy with her short haircut. Suddenly she looked up at him. Roy quickly looked back down at his plate, a little embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her.

"So Roy, how much alchemy do you know?" his sensei asked as he took a sip of wine.

"Not a lot, sir. What I know I learned from reading books," answered Roy while trying to avoid Riza's gaze.

"So you're self-taught?" Roy nodded. "Then tell me, what made you want to become an alchemist? Most people just learn the bare basics of this science before losing interest and moving on to other things."

"Alchemists be thou for the people', right?" responded Roy. "Alchemy has the power to help improve people's lives and in times of war, it can also be used to protect them. I want to learn alchemy and become an alchemist so I can help the citizens of Amestris."

Mr. Hawkeye chuckled. "You're a really idealistic young man. I hope you're prepared for what's ahead. Becoming an established alchemist requires absolute dedication to the science along with intelligence and talent." He looked at Roy from the corner of his eye. "Anything less than that and you're doomed to failure."

Roy grinned at his sensei. "I'm confident I will succeed in any task you put before me."

His sensei chuckled again. "We'll see…"

The conversation continued in that manner for another 20 minutes in which the two men traded alchemy stories. Mr. Hawkeye briefly shared with Roy his life's research on flame alchemy. Meanwhile, Riza silently finished her dinner and began serving dessert.

Finally, Mr. Hawkeye pushed back his chair and slowly stood up. Taking his wine glass in his hand, he looked over to his daughter. "Riza, I'll be in my study. Please show Roy to his room." Then he turned to his new apprentice. "Roy, we'll have our first lesson in the morning." Without another word he disappeared down the hall, leaving the two teenagers to stare at each other in an awkward silence.

Roy shifted uneasily in his chair as he tried to think of something to say. Normally he wasn't this tongue-tied, especially around girls but something about Riza made him a little self-conscious. He looked up at her and realized she had begun clearing the table.

"Let me help you with that," he said, getting up from his chair.

"Umm…thanks," replied Riza as Roy took the remaining dishes and followed her to the kitchen. "You can just leave them on the counter. I'll clean them later," she added as she placed the dishes she was carrying into the sink. Turning towards Roy with a smile, she said, "Let me take you to your room. You must be tired from your traveling."

Roy smirked. "Actually, I feel perfectly fine," he began but his body betrayed him and he let out a huge yawn. "Okay…maybe I'm a _little_ tired," he admitted, rubbing his eyes. Riza giggled.

They proceeded back to the main entrance where Roy had left his belongings. Once he had picked up his bags, they made their way up the stairs to the second floor. As they were climbing up the stairs, Roy stole another look at Riza from the corner of his eye. _She's actually kinda cute,_ he thought. _But_ _she'd look much cuter if she wasn't so serious all the time._

Riza walked to a door on Roy's right. "This is your room," she said while opening the door. After she turned on the lights, Roy followed her inside.

The room was quite spacious; the only furniture in the room was a double-sized bed which was placed against the wall and a desk and bookshelf that were located near the window. Several pictures hung on the walls, each one depicting one of the four natural elements: fire, earth, air and water. Roy's favorite item in the room, however, was a large Xing rug at the foot of the bed which had a flame motif on it.

"I hope this is suitable," said Riza from behind him. Roy turned around to face her, grinning.

"It's perfect. It's much bigger and nicer than my room back home."

Riza smiled. "The bathroom is next door and if you need anything, my room is just down the hall."

"Great. Thank you."

Roy hoisted one of his bags onto his bed and began unpacking his stuff, unaware that Riza had quietly slipped out of his room. He unpacked his clothes first, trying his best to smooth out the wrinkles before hanging them up in the closet. Next came his shoes, toiletries, and finally his alchemy books.

Roy gazed fondly at his alchemy books. He only had four, but they were his most prized possessions. He ran his hand over the cover of _Introduction to Alchemy_ and smiled. He had found this book at the bookstore near his home when he was 10 and spent weeks saving his allowance and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy it. It was his first ever alchemy book and his first real introduction to alchemy. He could still remember the thrill he felt when he did his first transmutation, a toy horse for his little cousin. The toy looked more like a donkey, in his opinion, but his cousin was thrilled by it nevertheless. As he delved deeper into alchemy and began experimenting with more complex transmutations, he realized just how important alchemy was for people. It was then that he realized he wanted to be an alchemist when he grew up.

Roy looked up from the book to take in new surroundings. He had never dreamed that he would someday be studying under a well-known alchemist, let alone the renowned _flame_ alchemist. He was truly living in a dream.

* * *

Riza stood next to the kitchen sink washing the dishes. As she placed the clean plates onto a drying rack her mind wandered back to her father's new apprentice. She didn't understand why, but there was something unique about that guy.

Before he arrived that evening her father had told her a bit about him. Apparently, he was from a neighbouring town and was referred to her father from an old family friend. According to his friend, Mr. Mustang showed immense talent in alchemy and he hoped that Mr. Hawkeye would take the young man under his guidance. From his tone of voice, Riza could tell that her father was actually fairly excited about his new student which confused her.

For as long as she could remember aspiring alchemists had knocked on their door begging to be taught under her father but he had sent them all off packing, declaring that he had no intention of wasting his time teaching elementary alchemy. Instead, he devoted his life to his research, spending countless hours hiding away in the library, slowly uncovering the secrets to controlling fire.

_So why would he suddenly want an apprentice?_ She placed the last dish in the drying rack. From what she had heard over dinner Mr. Mustang did indeed seem to know a fair bit about alchemy and seemed to be extremely interested in her father's research, but there had been many other people just like him whom her father had turned away.

_What is it about him that would make him different from the rest?_

Riza glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall as she dried her hands with the dishcloth. It read 10:38. She sighed as she remembered she still had homework to finish. Making her way up to her room, she made a mental note to talk to her father tomorrow morning about the broken clock in the kitchen**.  
**

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**A/N: **I'm not proud of this chapter at all but it had to be written to set the scene for later chapters. I promise the next chapter will be better. Bear with me on the seemingly lack of Royai for the first few chapters though. I don't want to rush it because I'm a firm believer that the best relationships are built on a foundation of friendship. 


	2. Gossip

**Author's Notes**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much, preferably more.

**Disclaimer**: Once again, I don't own Roy, Riza, or FMA but I do own the two OC characters that appear in this chapter.

* * *

**Gossip:**

"Didja hear? The Hawkeyes have a young man boarding with them."

"Yeah. And he's really dreamy. He was at Father's store a few days ago."

"Really? What does he look like?"

"Tall, pale, yet slightly muscular with black hair and black eyes. He looks like he has Xing blood in him."

Two of the girls squealed. "Omigod, I wanna meet him!" cried one.

"Me too," giggled another. "Riza's so lucky to be living in the same house as him. If he was staying at my place I'll be begging my parents to put him in the room next to mine."

"Knowing you, Claire, you'll probably 'accidentally' leave your bedroom door open while you're changing so he can look in."

Riza sighed as she passed a group of her gossiping classmates to join her two friends, Amy and Sarah, for lunch. Mr. Mustang had been with them for barely a week yet news of the mysterious boarder had reached every ear in town. She didn't see what all the fuss was. Sure he was good-looking but there was more to a person than looks. It kind of annoyed her sometimes to see girls her age reducing themselves to a bunch of giggling dolls whenever a somewhat handsome guy so much as smiled at them. She spotted Amy and Sarah sitting under their usual spot under a tree and headed towards them.

"Hey," said Riza as she sat down next to Amy.

"Hey, Riza," answered Sarah. "So is that new apprentice of your father's really as hot as all the girls are saying?"

Riza snorted. "Depends on your definition of 'hot'," she replied as she opened up her lunchbox.

"What other definition of 'hot' is there?" Sarah retorted.

"Oh, come on Riza," said Amy. "We're your friends. There aren't any secrets between us." She leaned in closer to her. "So tell us, boxers or briefs?" Riza choked on her sandwich.

"Amy! You know she doesn't know the answer to that…yet," snickered Sarah. "But you could at least tell us his name, Riza."

"It's Roy Mustang," gasped Riza as she took a sip of water to wash down the remaining stray crumbs in her throat.

"Mustang, eh? Like the horse?" mused Sarah.

"Don't even go there, Sarah," Riza warned. "Honestly, sometimes you're worse than the boys."

Sarah giggled. "So, what's he like as a person? Charming? Shy? Arrogant?"

"I don't really know him that well. We've only talked two or three times. He's always too busy studying in the library. Father seems quite impressed with him though. He says Mr. Mustang's got the intelligence and talent to learn the most advanced forms of alchemy."

Sarah grinned. "Hey, how about we go to your place after school to do our homework?"

"Yeah!" agreed Amy. "We might even be able to sneak a peek at that Roy Mustang of yours."

Riza groaned. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Father, I'm home," shouted Riza as she entered the house with Amy and Sarah following closely behind. Silence greeted them. Frowning, Riza looked into her father's study and found it was empty. "I guess they're not home," she told her friends. Amy and Sarah frowned.

"That's too bad, "sighed Amy. "I was really hoping we could see with our own eyes if the rumors were true."

"Maybe they'll come back while we're still here, Amy," replied Sarah optimistically.

Riza shook her head in disgust. It really was a good thing that they weren't home. She didn't even want to imagine how those two would gush over Mr. Mustang once they saw him. Knowing them, they would probably flirt with him and possibly ask him for a date if they were brave enough. She doubted that she could come up with a good excuse to explain to him why she was friends with a pair of airheads. "Come on," she said, picking up her discarded school bag and heading up the stairs. "We've got lots of homework to finish. The sooner we finish, the better."

"It almost sounds like you want us out of here as soon as possible," commented Sarah as she followed her friend up the stairs. "Afraid we'll embarrass you in front of _Mister _Mustang?" Amy giggled.

Riza could feel her cheeks turning red. "No, I just want to finish my homework so I can start dinner," she lied as she led them into her room.

* * *

The next two hours passed by uneventfully save for the continuous stream of teasing that Amy and Sarah kept directing at her. The jokes started out innocently at the beginning but eventually became more lewd as they competed to see how far they could go before Riza cracked.

"What kind of kisser do you think he is?" mused Amy as she struggled with a math problem. "Think he's one of those really sloppy kissers that leave you feeling like you kissed a dog or one of those really amazing ones that you read about in romance novels where you feel like you're walking on air?"

"If he's got a gorgeous body I wouldn't care about what kind of kisser he is. I just like to see some good eye candy. There's not too many of those in this town. My fantasies can fill in the rest of the blanks," replied Sarah.

"And what kind of fantasies are those?" asked Amy curiously.

"The ones where the guy is lyin-"

Riza slammed her book shut, startling the other two girls. "I'm done," she declared, looking at her watch. "Wow, look at the time. It's almost dinnertime. You two really ought to get home before it gets dark."

"But we haven't seen that Roy Mustang of yours yet," whined Amy.

"Maybe next time." Riza answered as she put her books away.

"Yeah, next time," mumbled Sarah disappointedly. She looked at Amy. "Riza's right though. My dad will probably have a fit if I'm out at night. He thinks it isn't safe for young girls to be out by themselves."

"Fine," sighed Amy as she shoved her remaining homework in her schoolbag and followed her friends back downstairs.

"I'll see you two tomorrow, OK?" said Riza as she opened the door for them, secretly hoping that she wouldn't see her father and Mr. Mustang walking up towards the house.

"Yup," replied Amy and Sarah in unison as they stepped outside.

"Tell _Mister _Mustang we said hi and it was a shame we couldn't meet him today," added Sarah.

"Alright, good night," answered Riza as she watched her friends make their way down the dirt trodden path. She sighed. _I guess I better go get dinner started,_ she thought.

"Are they gone yet?" asked an unexpected voice behind her. She squeaked and spun around. Roy was standing a few feet behind her.

"Y-yeah," she replied, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal. "I thought you and Father were out. Where in the world were you hiding all this time?"

He grinned sheepishly. "I was in the study."

"But I looked in and nobody was there."

"That's because I was taking a nap behind the couch." Riza frowned at him. "What?" he exclaimed, "Some of those books are really boring."

"I'm surprised you didn't wake up when I shouted that I was home."

Roy shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a deep sleeper. By the way, your father wanted me to tell you that he'll be a little late for dinner. He had to go across town to see someone. I wanted to tell you that earlier but I noticed you were with your friends and didn't want to break up the girl talk."

Riza blushed at the mention of 'girl talk'. _Did he hear what we said about him?_ "What did you hear?"

"Nothing much. I went back downstairs when I realized you had company. Why? You ladies didn't happen to be talking about me were you?"

"No!" replied Riza a little too quickly. "We…weren't." Roy grinned.

"Anyway," he continued as he turned around and made his way back into the kitchen, "I hope you don't mind but I just started preparing dinner. I didn't know how long you were going to be with your friends and I was starting to get a little hungry."

"You can cook?" Riza blurted out. Realizing how rude her comment sounded, she added, "Sorry, it's just that I don't really know any guys who can cook. Even Father's cooking is just above tolerable."

Roy laughed and turned back to face her. "I'm no chef but I can make a decent meal. Besides, cooking is similar to alchemy. As long as you have the basic ingredients you can make a whole variety of dishes. He waved a hand towards the kitchen. "Interested in trying it? I promise not to send you to the hospital," he joked.

Riza couldn't help but smile. "Sure," she answered, following him back inside the house.

* * *

"Here," said Roy as he placed a plate in front of Riza twenty minutes later. "I hope you like it. It's an old family recipe." Riza looked at the dish. It appeared to be rice mixed together with a variety of vegetables and chicken. _Well, it smells good at least,_ she thought. Picking up her fork, she took a small bite.

"Mmm…this is really good!"

"It's not too salty?"

"No, it's perfect. What's it called?"

Roy grinned. "Glad you like it. It's Xing stir fry."

"So gossip saying that you have Xing blood really is true then," commented Riza as she savored the dish. She'll have to ask Mr. Mustang for the recipe later.

Roy laughed. "There's already gossip about me? But yeah, my mother's side is from Xing."

Riza smiled. "This town isn't very exciting so gossip travels fast."

"And what happens when there isn't any gossip?"

"Then people spread rumors."

"Fun," Roy said. "So it's a no win situation."

"Pretty much," Riza answered as she took a sip of water from her glass. She was actually surprised at how easily she and Mr. Mustang were getting along. Her first impression of him that night when he arrived was that he was a bit conceited, however, that notion was quickly dropped as she learned more about him. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Roy spoke up again.

"I was wondering, how many other apprentices has your father had before me?"

"None. You're actually the first. Consider it an honor, Mr. Mustang."

Roy made a face. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Riza blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Why do you always call me 'Mr. Mustang'? It makes me sound like some middle-aged man. I'm not that much older than you, Riza."

Riza couldn't help but smile at the thought of Roy as a middle-aged man. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I suppose it's a habit. It's just that I was always taught to address any of Father's acquaintances that way though I must admit that they were all at least twice your age."

Roy stifled a laugh. "Think you can break that habit and just call me 'Roy'?"

"I suppose."

"Good," he said, jabbing at a piece of broccoli. "So, what were you girls talking about me upstairs?" he asked, trying to catch her off guard.

"Nothing," she lied, trying not to blush as she recalled some of the comments her friends had made.

"Come on, Riza. Surely I deserve a bit of gossip for making you dinner," joked Roy.

"You said so yourself that it was girl talk, and I'm afraid you're not a girl so you're not entitled to that information," she teased. Roy pouted.

"Not even as a friend?"

"When we become friends, maybe. I think we're still at the acquaintance stage."

"At least tell me why they're interested in what I sleep in," he said.

Riza choked on the water she was drinking. "What?!?" She quickly ran through the conversation she had with her friends earlier today. _I don't remember us talking about that._ She looked over at Roy. He was grinning.

"Gotcha."

Riza fumed. "What exactly did you hear us talk about?"

"I'll tell you what you want to know when you tell me what I want to know," he teased. "It's called equivalent exchange." He stood up and picked up his empty plate and glass.

"Oh, and you can tell your friends that I'm quite flattered by their opinions of me even though we haven't met yet," he added before disappearing into the kitchen.

Riza sighed. _It really is a no win situation_, she thought.

* * *

**A/N: **I tried to stick to canon but I'm not particularly fond of how teenage Riza calls Roy "Mr. Mustang" in the manga so I'm getting rid of it. "Mr." makes it sound like Roy's a lot older than Riza and (I feel) puts up an invisible barrier between them.

Thanks once again to Jack Bauer Reborn for editing and suggesting an ending for this chapter.


	3. Sickness

**Author's Notes**: So sorry for the late chapter. I've had this story almost completed and sitting on my computer for weeks because I didn't have any motivation to finish it.

This chapter is set a few months after **Gossip** so Roy and Riza are now pretty good friends though still nowhere near the level of friendship they have as soldiers in the military. I originally had a chapter before this which delves more into how they became friends but it turned out to be very OOC so I decided to drop it and jump to this chapter.

Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters.

* * *

**Sickness:**

Roy coughed and rolled over, burying his head in his pillow. Why the hell did he have to get sick now? Sensei was just starting to teach him the good stuff. Up until a week ago they had just been going over alchemy that he had already learned by himself. Sensei had insisted he learned the material properly and wouldn't show him the more advanced transmutation until after he felt Roy had thoroughly mastered the elementary alchemy. And now, after months of patience, they were finally starting the more interesting alchemy and his body just happened to choose this moment to get sick.

_Just my luck. Here I am stuck inside, sick, while even the birds mock me from outside,_ he thought bitterly as he listened to the robins outside his window chirp. Just then, he heard his bedroom door creak open. Cracking one eyelid open, he saw a blonde girl walk in with a small tray.

"How are you feeling?" asked Riza as she placed the tray down on his nightstand.

"Ugh… I feel like I'm gonna die," he moaned and rolled over onto his back to face her.

"You're such a big baby," she said as she placed a hand over his forehead to check his temperature. "It's just the flu. You'll be up in a few days." Roy scowled.

"I'm not a big baby," he pouted. "If you were sick too then you'll understand how I feel." Riza smiled. He really did sound like a 5-year old.

"Whatever." She picked up a measuring spoon from the tray and poured out some cough medicine. "Open up," she ordered, holding the spoon close to his mouth. Roy screwed up his face instead.

"I'm not taking it. That stuff tastes nasty. I rather have the cou-"He began coughing before he could finish his sentence.

Riza sighed in frustration. She really wasn't in the mood to argue. Placing her hand on his arm, she pinched him.

"OWWW!" She shoved the spoon into his open mouth and grinned in triumphant. Roy glared at her. "Thad hurd," he mumbled with the spoon still in his mouth.

"If you took your medicine like I told you to then it wouldn't have hurt," she explained, pulling out the spoon. "Here. Drink this," she ordered, shoving a glass of water in his hand. "You'll need plenty of fluids."

"You know, you have horrible bedside manners," he grumbled before obediently drinking the water. "You'll make a horrible nurse," he added when he finished drinking half the glass.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I don't intend on being one.

"Pity. You would've made a pretty nurse." Roy mumbled under his breath as Riza fluffed his pillow. She raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" he answered, blushing slightly as he focused his attention on the birds outside his window, "Just talking to myself."

Riza sighed and pulled up a chair. Picking up an apple from the fruit bowl she began to slowly peel the skin off with a knife. Roy watched her for a bit before closing his eyes and sunk lower down into his pillow. He had to admit, being sick did have certain advantages. It was kinda nice being pampered even if he was too ill to thoroughly enjoy it. He was pretty sure there were plenty of guys in town who would kill to be in his position right now. Honestly, what guy wouldn't want an attractive girl to take care of him when he was feeling under the weather?

He was just starting to doze off when he felt something wet between his dry lips. Opening his eyes, he saw Riza leaning over his bed holding a slice of apple.

"They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away," she smiled as Roy took the apple into his mouth.

"Yeah, bud I'm alweady sig," he replied with his mouth full.

Riza shook her head and chuckled. "Just eat," she said, stabbing another apple slice with a toothpick and handing it to him. Roy smiled. He didn't know how, but Riza had really grown on him during the months that they got to know each other. Their friendly jibes and insults were always a nice break from his regular routine of studying. The fact that she was also intelligent made it easier to have conversations with her. Nothing bored him more than listening to a girl go on about the latest fashion and celebrity gossip.

After he finished the last apple slice, he yawned and shifted back down his pillow while Riza discarded the core and skin in the waste basket next to the bed. Closing his eyes again, he could hear her shuffling through the growing pile of stuff on his nightstand. Just then, he felt his mattress sink down as an additional weight sat down on the side of his bed and a pair of hands began to unbutton the first few buttons of his pyjamas. Roy's eyes snapped open and he instinctively pulled his covers up to his chin.

"Riza, what the heck do you think you're doing?" he yelped, blushing a little.

"I'm just going to apply some salve I found in the medicine cabinet. It's supposed to help ease any congestion," she answered, confused, as she reached over to the nightstand again to pick up a small jar. "I don't see why you're so scared."

"Scared is hardly the word I would use," he muttered, coughing a little as he spoke. "Surprised is more like it."

"What's there to be surprised about?" Riza asked as she tugged the blankets down and

began applying a generous amount of salve on his chest.

"You're pretty dense aren't you? And here I thought you were trying to flirt with me."

"What in the world are you….oh." Riza blushed as she realized just how awkward the situation was with her hand on his bare chest. She quickly removed her hand from him and busied herself by making sure the lid was securely on the jar. Roy couldn't help but smirk.

"That's pretty sneaky, using that stuff as an excuse to feel my abs. I guess I should be flattered that you'll try to take advantage of me while I'm sick," he teased.

Blushing even more, Riza grabbed a small pillow and smacked him across the head. "You're sick, in both sense of the word," she declared, giving him a second playful whack.

"Hey! No fair! Hitting a person when he's defenseless and ill," Roy whined, giving his best puppy-dog look.

"You deserved it," she huffed, tossing the pillow back on the chair. She got up and picked up the tray. "Go get some sleep. The sooner you're healthy again the better….for both of us," she muttered under her breath. Roy grinned as he watched her leave the room before rolling onto his side.

_She's so much fun to irritate, _he thought as he closed his eyes.

* * *

**Two hours later…**

Riza carefully walked up the stairs carrying a small basin of water. She silently slipped into Roy's room and placed the basin on the floor. As she dropped a face cloth into the lukewarm water she looked over to the still form on the bed. Roy was fast asleep, snoring a little. Riza couldn't help but smile. The faint flush of his cheeks from the fever added some more color to his face which made him even more striking. Though she would never admit it out loud, he really was handsome. For the past few weeks she had found herself slowly falling for that smirk he always gave her whenever he was teasing her. There was just something about his smile that made her melt. It was an unfamiliar feeling which she would quickly try to suppress while she chided him for being so immature for his age. Unfortunately, he would always laugh off her remarks and the cycle would repeat itself a few days later.

As she massaged the face cloth in the water, she thought back to their last conversation. Despite being sick, he still managed to have enough energy to annoy her. She huffed as she recalled his gentle teasing about her taking advantage of him and wondered why she put up with him sometimes.

_That Casanova really knows how to sweet talk. I'm surprised he isn't more popular with the girls around town._

Looking over at him again, she realized that the first two buttons of his pyjamas were still unbuttoned, giving her another glimpse of his well-built chest. She blushed as she recalled how nice it felt under her palm while she was applying the salve. Shaking her head, she returned her attention back to the task at hand. Now was not the time for daydreaming.

Wringing out the cloth, she proceeded to gently wipe his face, particularly the small trail of drool that was starting to pool on his pillow. As the cool cloth touched his forehead, Roy frowned in his sleep and turned his head.

"Riza…" he murmured in his sleep.

She froze. _Did he just call out my name?_ She leaned in a little closer, trying to hear what he was mumbling into his pillow. He turned over, almost hitting her in the face with his hand in the process.

"Riza, I…" he murmured again.

Riza held her breath. She had to be dreaming.

"Slow down, Riza. We're supposed to move in a rhythm."

Riza's jaw dropped and she could feel her face burning. _That pervert!_ Gritting her teeth, she threw the damp cloth at him where it smacked him in the face. He woke up with a start.

"What the…?" he asked groggily as he peeled the rag off his face.

"You can be such a bastard!" she yelled at him before stomping out the room and slamming the door.

Roy stared at the door, still trying to comprehend what exactly happened. He remembered having a weird dream where he and Riza were out on the lake attempting to row a boat. He had just suggested to the dream Riza that they time their strokes when he was rudely awaken by the real one.

_What the heck is her problem?_ he wondered while he settled back down in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. _She's not still mad at the comment I made earlier is she? _Closing his eyes again, he decided it would be best to hold off on the teasing till he was well again.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I'll admit it. That was one weak dream scene. 

Next chapter might take a while to post. I haven't quite been in a writing mood lately.


	4. Protector

**Author's Notes**: Wow. Thank you all so much for all those reviews for _Sickness_. I was very surprised that everyone liked the dream scene because I didn't think it was all that great when I wrote it.

In response to an anonymous review left by Kasumi ryumizu: Truthfully, the dream itself was the last part I wrote and the main reason I wrote in the author's notes that I thought that scene was weak. I had trouble thinking of a dream that would result in Riza getting mad at Roy and after several days of brainstorming, I simply gave up and chose what I thought was halfway decent. It was never intended to be a plot device or foreshadowing. Just a random dream he had that made no sense.

Anyway, there's not much to say about this newest chapter other than that it's kind of a companion piece to the previous chapter. In other words, it's Roy's turn to fall for Riza.

**Warnings**: There's some foul language in this chapter so I'm raising the rating to T to be safe.

* * *

**Protector:**

"Father, I'm heading down to the marketplace. Do you need anything?" asked Riza one day, poking her head into the study. Her father and his apprentice looked up at her.

"Actually, there are a few things I'll like you to get," replied her father as he grabbed a piece of paper and began making a list. "Here," he said as he shoved the list at Roy. "Go with her."

"Why??" asked Roy. He was sitting on the floor where he was in the midst of drawing a transmutation circle.

"You can't possibly expect her to carry all this stuff by herself back here do you?"

"No, sir," replied Roy, taking the piece of paper.

"Good. We'll finish your lesson when you get back." Her father returned back to the book he was reading earlier. When Roy didn't move Mr. Hawkeye looked back up at him and roared "GO!"

"Alright alright," yelled Roy, scrambling up from the floor and following Riza out the main entrance.

* * *

"So..umm…what exactly do you need to get from the market?" Roy asked as they walked down the dirt path towards town. 

"A bunch of stuff actually," answered Riza as she fumbled inside her purse for her shopping list. "I need to buy some groceries and I want to pick up a new book that just came out."

"Oh? What's the book called?"

"Umm…" she began while mentally cursing herself for mentioning the book. How in the world was she going to get out of telling him that it was a romance novel titled _Flames of Seduction._ He would surely take it the wrong way and tease her mercilessly for the rest of their walk down to the marketplace. Staring down at the path in front of them, she muttered, "I don't remember the name exactly." Roy didn't look convinced.

"It's a romance novel isn't it?" he asked. She didn't respond. Roy sighed and stared up at the sky. "Judging from your lack of response I'm guessing it is. Makes sense though. That's pretty much all you read besides your school textbooks."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" demanded Riza.

"Nothing much. Just that you're really predictable." He grinned at her.

"And you're not?"

"Well I'd like to think I'm a little mysterious. You know, like those handsome, mystery men you lust after in those novels. He laughed as he blocked a swing from Riza's purse.

"You really can be a jerk sometimes," she huffed. "And I don't lust over those imaginary characters. I just like how they can be gentlemen, unlike you." Roy smirked.

"I can be a real gentleman when I want to."

"Yeah, sure," replied Riza, unconvinced. "Then how about starting right now?"

"If you wish, milady," Roy joked, grabbing her hand and pretending to kiss it. Riza felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt his breath against her skin.

"Grow up, Roy," she said nervously as she pulled her hand away from his grasp. Rubbing her hand, she tried to change the topic. "Anyway, what does Father need in town?"

Grinning, Roy pulled out the list Sensei had given him and looked at it. "Let's see: ammonia, carbon, sulphur, flint, ink, calcium, distilled water, iron, phosphorous, potassium… basically lots of miscellaneous stuff."

"Oh."

"Looks like most of the stuff can be bought at Mr. Brahe's store," continued Roy as he read further down the list. "The ink and paper can probably be found at the bookstore."

"I can pick that up since I'm heading there anyway."

"We're not picking up the stuff together?" Roy asked, sounding somewhat confused and a little disappointed.

"It'll be faster if we go our separate ways," reasoned Riza. "Besides, I'm sure you'll like to get back to your lessons as soon as possible."

Roy scratched his chin. "You've got a point. But where do you want to meet afterwards?"

"How about the town square in two hours? That should be more than enough time for us to finish shopping."

"Sounds good."

"Great," Riza said while she scanned their surroundings. They had reached the edge of town. "Anyway, I'm heading that way," she said, turning a corner. "I'll see you in two hours."

"Alright. See you later," Roy called back as he made his way towards the supplies shop near the center of town.

* * *

Roy yawned. He had finally finished buying everything on his sensei's list and was currently standing outside the flower shop in the town square waiting for Riza to finish her shopping. He looked at his watch. It read 12:40, almost twenty minutes after their scheduled meeting time. Sighing, he scanned the square for the tenth time, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl with short blonde hair. 

"Where in the world is she?" he muttered to himself as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. The sound of running water from the nearby water fountain was somewhat soothing as Roy silently tried to remember what he was reading in his alchemy book before he was kicked out of the house. While he mentally recited the last chapter he remembered studying he heard voices off in the distance.

"Hey baby, you don't have to act so cold."

"Yeah, We're just hoping to give you a good time."

"Then how about you two just beat it and leave me alone," said a familiar voice.

Roy eyes snapped open and he turned towards the direction of the voices. Sure enough, there was Riza carrying several parcels and being followed by two surly looking males.

Roy watched as one of the guys grabbed her by the arm, grinning lecherously, before Riza spun around and slapped him across the face. Furious, he tried to grab at her again but she elbowed him in the gut instead.

"You little bitch," the guy gasped. Roy could feel a burning rage beginning to smolder inside him. Nobody called Riza a bitch and got away with it. Picking up his bag, he made his way towards the fountain where the confrontation was taking place.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked as he approached the three. He could've sworn he saw Riza's eyes light up in relief at the sight of him.

"It's none of your business," replied the second teen.

"I'm afraid it is my business." Roy retorted, stepping in between Riza and the two teenagers. "Don't you two know that when a lady says "No" she means "No"?"

"You looking for a fight, punk?"

"Maybe I am." He placed his bag on the ground and moved closer to the men.

"Roy," called Riza, placing a hand on his arm. "It's not worth the trouble. Let's just go."

"But they just called you a-"

"It's not worth the trouble."

"Fine." He turned around and proceeded to pick up his stuff. While he bent down to pick up his bag he heard the two teens snicker.

"Got you whipped, eh Roy-boy?" mocked one of them.

"She has him wrapped around her finger. I hope that little whore puts out well for you, buddy. "

Roy felt his jaw tighten. Those two had gone too far. Instinctively, he straightened up and marched towards the second guy. Looking straight into his face, Roy growled, "Don't you _ever_ call her a 'whore' you jackass!" Then, without thinking, he punched the guy in the face. The teen staggered backwards, holding his nose while his friend lunged at Roy. Roy dodged and kicked the second guy in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying back towards his friend. Before the two had a chance to recover, Roy bent down and quickly drew a transmutation circle on the cobblestones. Putting his hand over it, he activated it and the ground under the two men suddenly rose up, throwing them into the fountain.

"What the…?" sputtered the first guy when he surfaced. Seeing Roy walking away from them he shouted, "Hey! Get back here you jerk! We're not done yet!" Roy ignored him as he made his way back to Riza.

"Come on," he said, quickly picking up his bag and grabbing her by the hand. "Let's get out of here." Riza followed him, somewhat stunned. She had never seen him this angry before. Looking around, she realized that several bystanders were also watching them, wide-eyed, as they left the town square. She couldn't help but blush at the attention they had garnered.

They had practically walked to the outskirts of town before Roy realized that he was still holding Riza's hand. "Umm…sorry," he mumbled, releasing her.

"That's ok," she replied, still blushing slightly. Wiping her now free hand on the side of her skirt she added, "I could've taken care of them myself, you know."

"I'm sure you could but I didn't like the way they were leering at you like a piece of meat."

"Don't tell me _you_ never looked at a girl like that before," she counteracted.

Roy silently thought about it. He would be lying if he said he never looked at a girl solely as an object before. He was a full blooded male teenager after all. "That's beside the point," he finally said. "There's a difference between having lustful thoughts and acting on them. Those two clearly crossed the line and harassed you."

Riza scoffed. "So you decided to be chivalrous and shove them into the fountain?"

"Meh. I figured they could use a cold bath. They kinda smelled too. It's too bad I forgot to transmute some soap for them."

Riza couldn't help but laugh at the comment. Roy grinned as he stole a glance at her. She really was beautiful when she smiled. He couldn't explain why but he always felt elated whenever he was able to get her to smile. Maybe it was because she rarely smiled at him. She was virtually always calm and serious, except when he riled her up by teasing her. He was also a little disappointed that whenever he tried flirting with her, she would just call him childish instead of flirting back, like all the other girls in town.

_I wonder why she's always so serious._

Roy watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear, admiring how it shone in the sunlight. He remembered how her hair smelled of jasmine when she took care of him during his bout with the flu a month ago and how the scent would linger in his room even after she had left. Despite the incident with the ointment and the time he woke up to find her mad at him (he never did figure out why she was so angry), she would faithfully visit him each day and they would talk about everything from trading cooking tips to discussing about the latest border conflicts between Amestris and its neighbors. He had secretly missed those talks when he was finally well enough to go back to his studies.

Looking over at her again, his hand twitched as he suddenly felt an urge to reach out and brush back a few stray strands that still covered her face. He shoved his hand in his pocket to resist the temptation, mentally berating himself for even considering acting on those emotions. She was his sensei's daughter and that was simply a line that he couldn't cross. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if she perhaps shared those same feelings. Surely she felt something seeing that she constantly put up with him on a regular basis. But what if she only saw him in a sibling sort of way, like a younger sister looking up to her older brother?

Riza turned her head and noticed Roy looking at her wistfully. "Is something wrong?" she asked concerned. Roy blinked and shook his head.

"No, nothing's wrong," he smiled. "I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Umm…my alchemy lesson," he lied. Looking up the path, he could see the Hawkeye residence in the distance. "Come on," he said. "I'll race you home."

"Think you'll beat me this time?" teased Riza. Roy smirked.

"Probably not. You're too fast but I can always dream can't I?"

"As long as it doesn't interfere with your real life you can dream all you want."

"Good."

Then without another word, they sprinted up the dirt path towards the house.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope everyone enjoyed this. Chapter 5 should be up in a few weeks.

* * *


	5. Secret Admirer

**Author's Notes**: I got the idea for this chapter from the conversation between Roy and Riza in Chapter 72. I thought that little scene was cute and wanted to write something that gave a little background on why he might have (jokingly) called himself her favorite florist.

For the record, Riza's now 15 years old and Roy's 17.

* * *

** Secret Admirer: **

Riza sighed as she stood by the front door of the confectionery waiting for Amy and Sarah to finish shopping for gifts for their boyfriends. Normally, she would be happily roaming around the store looking at the shelves of sweets but the excess of red and pink hearts decorating the store along with the massive crowd of people crammed in the store trying to buy sweets for Valentine's Day had really turned her off. As a result, she was now standing between the door and a giant display case full of cherub-shaped chocolates, waiting for her friends to make up their minds on whether they wanted the chocolate truffles or the assorted chocolates.

"Aren't you buying anything?" asked Amy fifteen minutes later, carrying a giant heart-shaped box that she had just bought.

"What for?" asked Riza. "All the leftover chocolate's going to be half off the day after Valentine's."

Amy laughed. "I didn't mean for yourself silly, I meant for your father's apprentice."

"Why would I give him chocolates?"

"Because you like him?" said a third voice. They both turned to see Sarah walking up to them with her own purchase.

Riza scoffed though she could feel herself blushing slightly. "He probably has plenty of admirers to give him chocolate." Amy and Sarah looked at each other before quietly shaking their heads.

"Denial won't get you anywhere, Riza."

"I'm not in denial!"

"Sure you aren't," said Sarah, unconvinced. She placed an arm around Riza's shoulder and led her out of the store while Amy followed behind them. "Look, Riza," she whispered loudly, "I'm telling you this as your friend. If you don't hurry up and confess your feelings for the guy another girl will probably show up and steal him from you."

Riza glared at Sarah. "Could you two please stop playing matchmaker? It's getting annoying."

"We will if you muster up the courage to at least admit your feelings for him," remarked Amy.

"Fine," Riza said, exasperated. "I like him. Happy now?"

"I knew it!" Amy exclaimed. "You were in denial."

"Great!" squealed Sarah, gleefully. "Now we just need you to say it in front of him."

"Not happening."

"Aww…come on, Riza," pouted Amy. "It's not that hard to say those three little words."

"Amy's right. Besides, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to tell him how you feel."

Riza shifted uncomfortably. While she would definitely be crushed if she ever saw Roy getting cozy with another girl she doubted that she would ever have the courage to admit her feelings to him. Not only would she be extremely embarrassed if he didn't return her feelings but it could also affect their friendship. _No,_ she thought, _it's better if he never knows how I feel._

"Riza? You ok?" Riza blinked, and looked at her friends.

"Sorry, I was thinking of something."

"About what?" teased Sarah.

"What to make for dinner," Riza lied while giving Sarah the evil eye. "It's 5:45. I really ought to get home and start dinner. I'll see you two tomorrow, ok?" she said, picking up her pace.

"Alright. Good night," her friends answered back. Amy and Sarah watched as Riza's figure disappeared around the corner.

"She really doesn't know does she?" asked Amy.

"Probably not," responded Sarah, "which is surprising since Riza probably has the sharpest eyes in town."

Amy shrugged. "I guess love really is blind or else she would have noticed the way he looks at her. It's obvious he sees her as more than just a friend or his teacher's daughter. One thing's for certain though. She won't make the first move."

"No, she won't. Hopefully he will though," said Sarah thoughtfully as they made their way down the street.

* * *

Riza flung her school bag on the floor before shutting the front door and untying her shoes. _Why do they always have to make such a big deal about my love life? _she thought as she slipped into a pair of comfortable slippers. _Don't they know there are other things in life to worry about besides boys?_ Running a hand through her short blonde hair, she sighed in frustration as she walked into the kitchen. Opening the fridge door, she took out a couple of vegetables and a package of meat and dropped them on the kitchen counter. 

As she took out the cutting board and proceeded to start preparing dinner, Roy walked into the room. He looked at her curiously before asking, "Why the long face? Bad day in class?"

"Not really," she answered. "I'm just tired. I had to wait an hour and a half in the confectionery for Amy and Sarah to pick out chocolates for their boyfriends."

"That's right. Valentine's Day is coming up." He leaned down on the counter. "Do you have anything planned for that day?"

"No," Riza retorted as she continued to furiously chop vegetables. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a boyfriend and Valentine's Day is for couples. Fortunately, it's on a Saturday this year so I won't have to watch couples fawning over each other at school."

Roy laughed as he stole a piece of carrot from the cutting board. "Somebody's bitter. Or do I sense a hint of envy? Besides, Valentine's Day isn't that bad. Some people use that day to tell someone that they like them or to show their appreciation for them. It doesn't have to be about love."

"Planning on telling a certain girl you like her then?" asked Riza. She regretted the question as soon as it left her lips. _Please say no_, she thought.

"No," answered Roy flatly though Riza could have sworn she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks.

"So what are you planning on doing?"

"Same thing I do pretty much every day, study alchemy."

"Doesn't it get boring studying all the time?"

"Sometimes if the stuff is really dry but if I don't I'll get in trouble with Sensei and I prefer staying on your father's good side."

"I see." She tipped the contents on the board into a skillet. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Roy lean in a little closer.

"You know, if you smiled more I'm sure more boys will come flocking towards you," he said softly in an almost teasing way. Riza stared at him.

"And what exactly are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing," he said playfully. "You seem a little jealous that both of your best friends have significant others and you don't. I'm just suggesting that if you smiled more, then maybe the boys won't keep their distance from you. All that constant frowning can make you seem a little…intimidating."

"Funny, you don't seem to be keeping your distance."

Roy laughed. "Maybe I'm just different from other guys."

"I see," she answered while she transferred the cooked vegetables to a large plate. Roy opened his mouth to say something else, but promptly closed it. Instead, he continued watching her as she made dinner. Finally, Riza couldn't stand it anymore and glared at him. "Don't you have anything better to do besides watching me?"

Roy blinked as if he had just been pulled back from a deep thought. "Actually, I just thought of something. I'll be right back." Without another word, he turned around and ran out the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes!" she called after him.

"OK," he called back.

Riza shook her head as she turned her attention back to the chicken cooking on the stove._ There's no way I can tell him how I feel_, she thought as she glanced back to where he stood only moments before.

* * *

The next day, Riza yawned as she slowly made her way up the path towards her house. It had been another long school day filled with the usual boring lectures and loads of homework. Fortunately for her, Amy and Sarah didn't continue their conversation from the day before. Riza supposed that they had finally decided to back off. Glancing over to her right as she was about the walk through the front gate, she noticed the mailbox lid was open.Thinking that her father had not yet picked up the mail, she walked over to the metal box and peered inside. 

Riza gasped. Lying inside the mailbox on top of the mail was a flower. She pulled it out and looked at it. It was an exotic blue orchid.

_It's beautiful_. _I wonder who put that here?_

Looking through the remaining mail, she was a little disappointed to find that there was no note accompanying the flower. Sighing a little, she made her way into the house.

"Ah, Riza," said her father when she walked in. "Good. You got the mail. I was just about to go pick it up." Taking the mail from her, he glanced at the orchid in her hand. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it outside just now. Someone must've put it there."

"I see," muttered her father before walking off, mumbling something about still needing more practice. Riza wondered for a second what he was referring to before she went to find a suitable vase for the orchid.

* * *

Every day for the rest of the week Riza found a flower waiting for her in the mailbox. At first she was surprised to find another flower in the mailbox but she began to secretly look forward to them. It amazed her that something as simple as finding a lilac lying on top of the mail would brighten her day. The only thing that probably would've been better would be to find out the identity of her mystery suitor. Unfortunately, he appeared to be content with keeping his identity secret for the time being. 

_I suppose I could just keep an eye out _for _the person tomorrow if and when he comes_, she thought one evening as she worked on her history paper. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of the possibility of finally finding out who this mysterious person was.

"Hey Riza," said Roy suddenly as he walked into her room unannounced, "can I borrow your book on the history of Amestris?"

"Sure," she replied, not looking up from her essay. "It's on my bookshelf."

When he didn't move, she looked up and saw him staring at the bouquet of flowers on her desk. "What's with the flowers?" he asked, grinning.

"Nothing. I've just been finding a flower in the mailbox the last couple of days."

"Oh? Sounds like you have a secret admirer," teased Roy. "It's an odd bouquet though," he added, reaching out to touch a camellia. "People normally give roses. I wonder why he chose these particular flowers."

"Perhaps he wanted to be different," she said, turning her attention back to her homework.

"Maybe. Or perhaps he chose ones that have a certain meaning behind them," he answered back thoughtfully. They were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "So do you have any idea who your secret admirer might be?

Riza could feel herself beginning to blush. "No."

"I've noticed that the paper boy seems to be becoming rather friendly towards you. Think it could be him?"

"It's a possibility. But then, it could be anyone. Even you." She looked up from her essay and glared at him. "Didn't you come here for my book?"

"Yeah…" Roy stammered as he recovered from her sudden accusation.

"Then go get it and let me finish my homework."

"Alright, alright. I can tell when I'm not wanted."

After Roy left, Riza attempted to go back to her essay but her mind was preoccupied with his words. She sighed. She had secretly hoped deep down that perhaps Roy was the one leaving those flowers for her but based on his reaction to the bouquet, she doubted it.

_Who am I kidding? Why would he see me as anything more than a friend? With his charm he can pick any girl in town and sweep her off her feet_.

Putting down her pen, she looked at the bouquet. Sighing again, she decided to leave the rest of the essay for the next day and sleep early. The next day was Valentine's Day and she was probably going to need something to occupy herself.

* * *

It was past two in the afternoon on Valentine's day before Riza finally had a chance to check the mail for signs her admirer had stopped by. Nevertheless, when she had finished cleaning the dishes from lunch, she made her trip down to the front gates. 

The lid of the mailbox was, as usual, slightly open, meaning that her mystery suitor had indeed visited. Riza slowly walked over to it, her heart thumping slightly, and looked in.

Inside was a single full bloom rose. Smiling, she carefully pulled it out and admired it. It was beautiful; the petals were a dark yellow color which blended into a deep red at the tips. She brought the flower up to her face and inhaled. The scent from the rose was unique, as if it was a blend of other flowers combined together. Riza looked inside the mailbox again and found a small white card. Her heart thumping wildly now, she opened it and read its contents.

_ Dear Riza,_

_ Happy Valentine's Day._

She turned the card over. There was no signature. Slightly disappointed, Riza slipped the card in her pocket and went back into the house. She found a spare vase in her room and carefully placed the rose on her night stand before going back to her desk to work on her paper. She was able to make quite a bit of progress on her essay before she had to look up some obscure date in one of her reference materials. Unfortunately, the book she needed seemed to have disappeared.

_Where in the world is it? _she thought as she searched her room for the second time before remembering that Roy borrowed it. She got up and quicklymade her way down the hall to his room and knocked on his door. There was no reply.

"Roy? You there?" she asked as she opened the door and poked her head inside. The room was dark. She flipped on the light.

The room was a mess, leaving Riza wondering when Roy last cleaned it. As she stepped inside and carefully made her way across the room she noticed a stack of books on the corner of his desk. Spotting her book at the top of the pile, she picked it up before glancing at the papers scattered on his desk. Most of the papers had drawings of transmutation circles but a few of them contained random notes scribbled on them. Riza studied the notes. The writing looked very familiar for some reason. Her eyes widened in shock when she suddenly remembered why it looked so familiar. Pulling the card out of her pocket, she laid it out on the desk next to the notes.

"I don't believe it," she muttered in disbelief. Smiling, she tucked the card back into her pocket and slowly made her way out of the room and down the stairs. Hopefully, she'll find everything she needed in the kitchen.

* * *

Roy cursed as he raced up the muddy path towards the Hawkeye residence. _Why in the hell couldn't Sensei wait until tomorrow to ask me to run errands?_ He had originally planned to secretly watch Riza when she found her gift from her secret admirer but instead, he spent most of the day evading countless girls in town who were hoping he would take them out on a date while trying to purchase everything on his sensei's list. He had only made it down two-thirds of the list before a heavy downpour hit, drenching him. 

_I really hope I don't get sick from this_ he thought as he stumbled through the threshold Gently dropping his purchases by the door, he quickly took off his shoes. _Ugh. I'm soaked. I better go change before Riza yells at me for leaving puddles all over the house_.

As he made his way up the stairs, he wondered if Riza liked her gift. He had spent most of the night transmuting flower after flower until he had finally transmuted a rose he was satisfied with. He had no idea until last night just how difficult it was to transmute roses. All the other flowers had been so easy.

Opening the door to his room, he went straight to his closet for something dry and relatively clean. Pulling out a dark blue shirt and black pants, he tossed them on the bed and immediately began undressing. _I hope she isn't disappointed that I didn't reveal who I was,_ he thought as he dried his hair with a towel. He had debated whether to sign the card but decided otherwise. She seemed so happy thinking she had a suitor that he didn't want to ruin her day by telling her it was just him. Not to mention, Sensei would probably torch him if he found out he had been giving Riza flowers. He had the impression that Sensei was rather protective of his daughter.

Tossing the now wet towel into the clothes hamper he proceeded to dress. As he began buttoning up his shirt, he noticed something blue on his desk out of the corner of his eye. Walking towards the desk he found a box of hand-made chocolates and a small white card on top. He opened the card and read the graceful handwriting inside:

_Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful._

_ -Riza_

_How did she find out?!?_ Roy thought frantically. He tried to think of what he might have said or done to give himself away but before he could come up with an explanation he heard his Sensei calling him and he didn't sound happy.

"Roy Mustang! Where the hell are you? You have some explaining to do!"

"Oh crap," Roy cursed under his breath. Dashing out the door, he mentally prayed that whatever it was his sensei was mad at him for, it wasn't what he thought it was.

* * *

**A/N:** I did some research while writing this and according to Wikipedia a yellow rose with red tips means "friendship, falling in love" which I thought defined their relationship at that stage quite accurately. As for the other flowers, lilac means "first love", orchid is "rare beauty" and a camellia is "loveliness". 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters.


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